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| Behind the scenes of Cynthia Vincent's studio and showroom |
Sometimes in life a door opens that you better walk through (no, run through) or else it may slam in your face, never to open again. A couple months ago, that door opened for me.
While aimlessly trolling Facebook, I came across a contest from PopSugar - a chance to win a trip to LA to meet designer Cynthia Vincent and have her create a one-of-a kind piece for me (spoiler alert, I won). All I had to do was talk about how my style has evolved.
Normally, I would continue scrolling though the Facebook newsfeed, not giving a second thought to the competition. But something made me not just pause, but actually take the time to enter. Maybe it was because I loved Cynthia Vincent’s line. Maybe it was because it was January in Detroit and a trip to LA sounded like heaven. But in all honesty, I think it was this idea of personal evolution that struck a chord.
Cancer changed me. I mean, how can it not. When a terrible, life threatening disease takes over your body, there’s no way you can emerge on the other side the same person. But cancer didn’t just change my outlook. It changed my sense of gratitude. And my joy for life.
Cancer also changed my style. Or, more accurately, it changed my insecurities about my style.
While aimlessly trolling Facebook, I came across a contest from PopSugar - a chance to win a trip to LA to meet designer Cynthia Vincent and have her create a one-of-a kind piece for me (spoiler alert, I won). All I had to do was talk about how my style has evolved.
Normally, I would continue scrolling though the Facebook newsfeed, not giving a second thought to the competition. But something made me not just pause, but actually take the time to enter. Maybe it was because I loved Cynthia Vincent’s line. Maybe it was because it was January in Detroit and a trip to LA sounded like heaven. But in all honesty, I think it was this idea of personal evolution that struck a chord.
Cancer changed me. I mean, how can it not. When a terrible, life threatening disease takes over your body, there’s no way you can emerge on the other side the same person. But cancer didn’t just change my outlook. It changed my sense of gratitude. And my joy for life.
Cancer also changed my style. Or, more accurately, it changed my insecurities about my style.
It changed me from a shy, insecure, girl who felt the need to blend in, to a strong willed, bad ass woman, who started to care less what other people thought of me and more what I thought about myself. I won’t say cancer was a gift, but it certainly helped give me the strength to evolve.
So back to my open door.
Around the same time I entered the PopSugar contest, I began to seriously question my life and its purpose. I had just learned I was one year in remission and wanted to stop living and start L-I-V-I-N’ (thank you Matthew Mcconaughey). I started to really focus on finding my joy again (which is unsurprisingly easy to lose in the face of cancer and surprisingly, even easier to lose in the aftermath of cancer). I was questioning this blog and fashion and my career and constantly asking myself (in a super over the top, dramatic way), “What am I doing with my life?!”
And then I won the trip to LA to meet Cynthia Vincent.
I’m not a very religious person, and I’m not sure I really believe in signs from the universe, but I do believe in opportunities. And doors. And walking through them. The old me? The pre-cancer me? She would have been too afraid to put herself out there and walk through that door. And her life would have been just fine. But that girl? She wouldn’t have had the chance to walk a red carpet of a Beverly Hills event in an amazing one-of-a-kind designer dress. That girl would have missed out.
And then I won the trip to LA to meet Cynthia Vincent.
I’m not a very religious person, and I’m not sure I really believe in signs from the universe, but I do believe in opportunities. And doors. And walking through them. The old me? The pre-cancer me? She would have been too afraid to put herself out there and walk through that door. And her life would have been just fine. But that girl? She wouldn’t have had the chance to walk a red carpet of a Beverly Hills event in an amazing one-of-a-kind designer dress. That girl would have missed out.
And that’s an evolution I can live with.
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By now, you’ve probably already seen the videos of my time in LA with Cynthia (if not, you can watch them here), but I wanted to share a glimpse of some of the behind the scenes action. Enjoy!
